ABSTRACT
Food has always been an integral part of Chinese culture. Work is often directly linked to the concept of eating. The Chinese love for food is not just apparent in the words they use. People wait patiently for hours at their favourite restaurants and are generally very picky about the freshness of ingredients and how dishes are prepared. A popular hotpot restaurant chain, Haidilao, provides a variety of amenities and services for customers while they wait, such as battery-charging stations, drinks, chess boards, manicures and babysitting – all at no extra charge. By 2010, Wang had been a serial entrepreneur for seven years. In October 2015, Meituan and Dianping merged, amassing an astonishing 81% market share between them. Meituan also set its sights on the online travel agency (OTA) space. On February 14, 2017, Valentine’s Day, Meituan quietly launched its ride-hailing service in Nanjing, followed by Shanghai and other cities.
